Flipped
by Yuxume
Summary: This is a story that does involve your favorite characters, does take place in Cocoon, and does have action. It just might not be what you think it'll turn out to be. Come see a side of characters you've never seen. T for language and possible romance.
1. Welcome to the Other Side

**This story is going to be a little bit of a side project for me. Until Inner Conflicts is finished, I'll only be updating this every now and then. This idea popped into my mind randomly, and, I'm just warning, I screw around with all the characters, and make up my own plot. Like I've said before, though not here, I'm a new author, so I have no idea where this will go. You have been warned, brave readers! 8D**

**Side note: I use Hope and Lightning as the two main characters, because I want them to be the main protagonists, sort of like a video game.  
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><p>"<em>Where is he? <em>_**Bring me that Estheim!**__"_

Commanding cries and shouts, mingled with the chaotic echoes of footsteps, rang through the stone hallways of the castle. Soldiers in heavy armor tramped past flustered nobles and curious children, unknowing of the fact that the one they sought was watching them, high above.

Sitting on a ledge, high above the commotion, was a man, dressed in a white, loose V-neck shirt, and black pants. He leaned casually against a glass-paned window, sitting upon the ledge that jutted out of the wall, his black boots dangling below the ledge. He smirked as the knights shouted his name below him, and bided his time. It took awhile, but soon the hallway cleared out. He was in the South Wing, after all, of the castle located in Eden, whose rulers lorded over all of Cocoon. This was where the library, music rooms, and everything else in that category were. Because of this, it was quieter and less populated than the other sections of the castle.

The man, his silver hair shining in the sunlight that poured through the window behind him, grinned as a knight came in his direction. His emerald eyes gleamed in anticipation. _Perfect timing._

He swung down from his perch and came crashing down upon the knight's back. Instantly knocked out, the man in the heavy suit of armor fell hard upon the ground. It caused quite a racket, and the wanted man was wary for a moment, checking around to see if anyone had noticed.

No one rounded the corners of the long hallway, though, and the tall, silver-haired person inwardly declared it was safe to continue on his mission. He hauled the unconscious man to an empty room and stripped him of his armor. Donning the metal suit, the attacker silently commended the troops for being able to walk at all in such a hindrance. As he put on the helmet, though, Hope decided he wouldn't be able to wear this for more than two minutes. It was put aside.

_I suppose I'll just take a big chance and… Slip out the door. _

He poked his head out of the door and looked around. First right, then left… There was no one in sight. All clear! He stepped out of the room and began traversing down the hallway, boots barely making a sound as the mysterious man continued in the library's direction.

"…_I-I've found you now, Estheim!"_

The man froze in his tracks, then slowly turned his head. A few yards down the long corridor, a woman stood, panting, her long blond hair hanging over her face and falling to her thighs. He grinned, and the woman scowled as her face turned red.

"Heh. Hey, Jihl."

"You… You will return the Princess now!"

"Hm? What are you talking about? _Which _princess do you mean? It's not like I have a princess in my bag." He turned and casually held up a brown satchel.

Jihl Nabaat took a step forward, her hand rising to her side. "Th-That bag…"

The man's silver hair waved gently as he approached the woman. The closer he got, the redder Jihl's face became, and she took two steps back. "St-Stay where you are, or I'll call the guards!"

"Aw, Jihl, you wouldn't do that, would you…?" The man lifted a hand to the woman's chin, brushing it gently.

"I-I-I-I'm warning you, E-Estheim!"

"C'mon, don't be such a stranger… Why don't you call me Hope?"

They were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps, and Hope Estheim grinned at the still blushing Jihl. "Bye bye, Officer Nabaat." He quickly ran away, sprinting down the halls as the shouts of soldiers seemed to chase him. It was fortunate that the female officer had fallen for him long ago, making it quite easy for him to slip away.

Reaching the large, polished, wooden doors of the library, he glanced this way and that before entering and pulling the door shut behind him.

The interior of the library was quiet and elegant. Tall bookshelves lined every available space along the wall and stood in tall rows in the room. A large window, fitted with stained-glass panes, shot rainbow colors over the rows of tables, giving the library a very holy feel. Hope only had a moment to appreciate the beautiful scene before he remembered that he was currently running from a group of soldiers that were part of a large army, under the command of a few officials who wanted his head on a gold platter.

Hope dived behind a few bookshelves and rolled into a corner. Looking up, he saw that he had not rolled into a corner, but a door. It had a plaque on it that read "**Private" **in large, bold letters. The perfect hiding spot. No one would look hard in _that _room, even if they thought to look in there, at all. Hope wrenched the door open and slid in, making sure to close the door behind him.

As the door shut with a click, a small squeak sounded from behind Hope's back. He whipped around and flicked out a knife, the blade pointing at a… girl. Her pink hair was done up in an elegant pun, held up by several pearl pins. She was young and slender, wearing a beautiful cream-colored dress. A gloved hand was held up to her mouth as she stared at Hope with fearful eyes.

Slowly, Hope lowered the knife. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to startle you… You are the younger Princess, are you not? The princess 'with the silken hair,' as they say."

She did not speak, but nodded timidly.

"I apologize. I would never hurt such a beautiful young lady."

Finally, the princess spoke. "Y-You are… Hope Estheim. T-The thief and rogue of Cocoon."

Hope bowed. "I am honored that such a wonderful girl remembers my name, especially one of such nobility."

Gaining confidence, the young girl stepped forward. Suddenly, rapid knocking on the door shattered her concentration, and she gasped, stumbling back a little. Hope cursed. A voice asked, "Princess? Is everything alright in there?"

Hope was about to run forward and cover her mouth, when the girl surprised him by replying, "Yes, everything is fine! Is something the matter?"

"N-No, Princess, everything is all right. Excuse me for disturbing." Heavy footsteps grew fainter as the knight trooped away.

Hope breathed a sigh of relief. "Th-Thanks… Why would you do that?"

"I… I have a request. No one will disturb us… This is my private reading chamber." The Princess curtsied. "My name is Claire Farron, as you know. I am, indeed, the younger princess of the kingdom. No doubt you have heard… My elder sister, Serah Farron, has gone missing."

"Yeah, I've heard. So, that's what Jihl meant. I haven't stolen your sister, if that's what you mean."

"N-No… Please. Will you take me to find my sister?"

Hope looked at her with a shocked expression, aghast. "_What?" _

Claire squeezed her eyes shut, her hands clasped together. "_Please! _Only one as experienced and strong as you can possibly aid me in finding her!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You're a _princess. _I am… Well, to be blunt, I'm a wanted guy. A criminal, though I honestly don't like that word. Do you even know the first place to look for your sister?"

"Please! I need to! I'm so worried, and everyone's giving up hope… I found this on her table." Claire handed a slip of paper to Hope. On it, a few words were scribbled.

"_On the tallest point of the tower, moonlight douses the precious stone and reveals the point of no return."_

Hope raised an eyebrow. "That's a pretty cryptic note."

"Y-Yes. The part about 'no return' bothers me, though. I'm also wondering why my sister would have that… Also, Snow…"

Hope's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he hissed, "You know Snow?"

Claire started. "Y-Y-Yes, I do… He was a guard of my sister, and disappeared along with her."

The man was silent for a moment, before sighing. "So Snow went with Serah…You're a little young to run away from home. Aren't you just fourteen?"

"A-And twenty-one is a young age to be a criminal."

"Hah, touché." Hope tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling, where a circular window rained sunlight into the room. "…Alright. Fine. I will take you. But, it's gonna be tough. You stick out in that outfit."

"I have a change of clothes in my bedroom! Please, wait here!" Without giving Hope a chance to respond, Claire had left the room, her quick, light footsteps fading quickly.

"…Man, what a naïve girl." Even though he said that, Hope couldn't bring himself to escape, even if it was the perfect time. He sighed. What was the matter with him now? He didn't have a problem conning that Jihl. Sitting in a plush armchair, Hope waited for the princess to return.

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><p>A few minutes later, the princess re-entered the room. She had changed from her beautiful dress to a plain white halter-top, and a pink, plaid skirt. She had white boots on her feet, and had allowed her hair to fall to its full length, all the way down to her hips. "I-Is this plain enough?"<p>

Hope stared at her for a moment, before shrugging. "Well… I suppose you _do _fit in better, now… But, your hair kind of… gives you away."

"Oh, yes… M-May I borrow your knife, please?"

"Huh?" Hope caught on. "Are you okay with cutting it off by yourself?"

"Yes. It is necessary." Claire took the knife gingerly and gathered her hair in one hand. With the other, she ripped through most of it, so that the hair fell to her shoulders. Hope quickly lunged forward to grab the falling, shorn hair. He didn't really want to leave any evidence behind. He stuffed it into the same brown satchel Jihl had reacted to earlier.

"B-Better?"

Hope nodded approvingly. "Much. It's very comely."

Claire blushed. "Th-Thank you very much…"

"Now then. Shall we go now, Princess? Actually, you should probably think of a name to go with your disguise."

"Yes… Umm… I will be called…"

"Hey, no rush. Let's get going." The two snuck out of the room. Thankfully, the library was still rather quiet, though a few people had entered. They were absorbed in their books, and it was simple to leave the library.

In the hallway, though, Hope gasped as a horrid sight met his eyes. What must have been at least half the soldiers in the castle were standing about in the halls of the South Wing. It wasn't long before they were spotted. "It's Estheim! And… who is that?"

"They can't recognize you, or else everything's going to be ruined! Back in the library!" Hope hissed, pushing Claire back into the book-filled room.

Those reading their books looked up in alarm as armored men burst into the library, following Hope and Claire. Hope had hauled Claire onto his back, sprinting as fast as he could back to the Princess' private reading chamber. Bursting through the door, he leapt onto the table and set Claire down. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small disk and hurled it at the window in the ceiling so that it shattered into glass pieces. As Claire cried out, Hope launched himself out of the window, gripping the sharp edges and pulling himself out of the room. He winced as the edges of the remaining glass sliced into his hands, but ignored it, even as blood dripped from his wounds.

He reached through the hole for Claire just as a blade of electricity blasted the door of the room down, drawing the girl's attention. "Hurry, Claire, they've brought their mages!"

The girl turned and looked at him, but didn't give him her hand. Her eyes had a sense of revelation in them. "…Hope, I-I will be called… Lightning. Is that okay?"

Hope blinked, and then grinned. "…If that's what you wanna be called, I won't stop you. I gotta say, though…" He pulled the girl through the ceiling after she clasped his hand with her own. "Nice choice."

Lightning nodded, a happy smile spreading on her face. The reality of the situation was blasted back into their minds, though, as fireballs shot through the hole just below them. "Make a run for it!" Hope yelled, pulling Lightning along.

"B-But where to?" The two were running on the roof of the castle, nearly slipping. It was lucky that the small window had led to a flat surface on the great building, but that would soon give way to a huge dome, sloping and slippery.

Hope looked around, trying to calm himself. He would've tried to climb down using the numerous flagpoles, but Lightning wouldn't be able to keep up… "This way!" He dragged the girl across the roof and kicked in another window. Jumping through, the two landed heavily on top of a piano, breaking the poor instrument, which lamented its own death with a melancholy _bong. _They sprinted out of the room, emerging into the hallway much further down from the library. They had a few precious seconds before they would be pursued, and Hope intended to take full advantage of that sparse time.

Hope was surprised, though, when Lightning suddenly took the lead. "Hurry!" She whispered as she ran towards the stone staircase. They flew down the stairs, listening with growing panic to the commotion behind them. Still, they ran, until they had reached the first floor of the castle. "What are you doing?" Hope cried, "The entrances have been sealed, ever since they first saw me here!"

"The kitchen!" Lightning replied, dashing around a corner and down another flight of stairs. She burst into the kitchen, and shut the door behind Hope and herself. Panting, they leaned against it. No soldiers followed them. Hope looked up from where he had been bending to catch his breath, and saw half a dozen cooks and kitchen girls staring at the two. "Oh, _shit." _He muttered.

"Princess Claire! _This _is the person you have found to aid you?" Asked a burly cook, tone layered with uncertainty.

"Huh?" Hope asked, looking at the younger girl, who was smiling.

"It's all right, Hope. These people are helping me."

"You let this many people know you were leaving…? That's a little risky."

"These people have taken care of me all my life. Now come, please… While we can, let's escape." Lightning ran to a pantry and opened it, pushing aside boxes and barrels until she uncovered a small door.

"Nice!" Hope grinned, holding up his hand for a high five.

"Wh-What is that…?" Lightning asked, taken aback. "Why are you… waving to me?"

"No, no, Light. This is a high five! It means good job. You hit my hand with yours, see?" He reached over and raised her hand, slapping the two together lightly.

"'Light'…?" Lightning gazed at Hope, before smiling, pleased. "Okay!" She turned to the kitchen hands as Hope opened the secret door. "Please… take care of yourselves. I will be back, with my sister, before you know it."

"Take care, Princess! Be safe!" A young servant girl called. Lightning nodded, and allowed herself to be pulled away by Hope.

They emerged in a small corner of the garden that weaved itself all around the castle, surrounding its stone walls. When Hope finally fought his way free of several branches, he was panting slightly and leaves coated his hair. He turned and helped Lightning out of the small exit, closing the door behind her and rearranging the vines and roots of several different plants to conceal its location. Once he straightened, he faced Lightning and found she was staring at him with a peculiar expression on her face. Hope raised an eyebrow and waited for a while, but when she didn't speak, he finally asked.

"_What?"_

Light blushed. "E-Excuse me… But, that bag…" She pointed at the brown satchel that rested on Hope's hip. "Is that…?"

"Hm?" Hope looked down. "Oh, this. Sorry… I guess this sort of means I stole from you, huh?" He pulled the strap of the satchel over his head and tossed the bag to the princess, who caught it with a small gasp of surprise.

"But… You stole it, so… Why would you give it back to me?"

Hope scratched his head, looking at the blue, cloudless sky for a moment before answering. "Well… We're going to be traveling together from now on, won't we? So, you know…" He chuckled sheepishly. "I'll just take it back once we're done."

Lightning tilted her head, clearly confused. "Hm…? But... This… You took it, and then gave it back to me. But you'll take it back, later? I don't really understand."

Hope sighed. "Nothing, nothing. Now then, we should probably get to solving that riddle. 'On the tallest point of the tower,' huh? The tallest point… There are so many towers here, though."

"Um… Hope?"

"Hmm… Yeah, Lightning?"

"I probably should've mentioned this earlier, but the tallest tower in Eden is the Observatory. Which is… back in the castle."

Hope stared at the girl for a long moment, before sighing and placing the palm of his hand onto his forehead. The shy princess began apologizing profusely, and he waved them away to calm her down. "Light, _Light. _It's fine… But, yeah, you should've told me earlier.

"Well, I suppose there's only one place to go. Back into the castle." Hope sighed, as he turned back to the hidden passageway. Even from the garden, the man could hear his name still being called from the interior of the palace. _You have got to be kidding me…_

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><p><strong>It's super weird, I know.<br>**

**So, what do you think? Should I continue this twisted tale? If so, whose alter ego do you want to see next?**


	2. The Moon's Tear

**Oh. My god. Guys. I'm so sorry. I really, really wish you guys knew how bad I felt those months that I didn't update my stories. As in, I didn't update at all. I totally understand if I lost some followers, but I really want you guys to know that I'm offering my sincerest apologies. I'll explain everything at the end. Oh, but I'll also have good news at the end!**

**Revan Farron- Ahahaha, I'm relieved! Thank you very much!**

**AssasinZAssasin- Thanks for reviewing, as always! Hmm... I don't think you'll expect what Snow turns out to be at all. At least, I hope not. Surprising you guys is one of my goals in this story. :]**

**FFLightXHopeTifaXCloud- I _always _consider your suggestions! More often than not, I correct my writing so it matches what you've told me. Thanks for being such a great help. I'm sorry I didn't send this chapter to you; I wanted to get this one out as soon as possible, to let people know I'm not... Dead. Yeah. As for the V-necks, they probably had them, but not commonly. :b Maybe they weren't even called V-necks?**

**NazoLuk3- Aww, thank you! That means a lot to me. :] Sazh might not be something you expect, either.**

**PinkhairedSoldier- Oh, really? I can't really remember if I corrected my errors, but thank you for the review, Bella!**

**tootsiepopgurl- Thanks! Yeah, I'm pretty poor at drawing myself. Hooray for people who can't draw! I hope people don't get driven off by the weirdness of this story. xD**

**ventus4ever- Thank you! I'm leaving Vanille for later, but Fang _might _be featured in the next chapter. It depends. See below for more~**

**Anyways, I haven't written in so long, so I'll probably be pretty rusty. Sorry if it's a little bland this round. Happy reading!**

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><p>"Umm... H-Hope?"<p>

"What, Light?"

"Ah... I-I don't mean to criticize your way of life, or anything, but have you ever given any thought that m-maybe you should... st-stop stealing?"

Hope sighed. _Is this really the right time to be asking such a thing? I guess she can't help it, though, since she was raised so carefully, being a princess and all..._

The two were hiding behind one of the many stone lions that lined the halls. The great majestic beasts were only located on the first two floors of the castle, though there was one gigantic one on the third floor, and a few tiny ones that decorated the stone walls of the upper most levels. They were a symbol, or maybe even a "mascot," of Eden.

The rulers of Eden, as said previously, also lorded over all of Cocoon, the wider, great continent that Eden and several other cities dwelled within. Eden was just at the top. Lightning and Serah's cousins and relatives were the lords of the other cities and castles, but constantly gave reports to the sisters' father, the supreme King. It was only natural their emblem was a such a majestic creature, even if the idea was a tad cliché.

The whereabouts of the queen were still unknown to pretty much everybody. She had disappeared long ago, when Princess Claire was just a small baby. There must have been _someone _who knew where she was, but, alas, that person had not been found yet. And so it was that the King was the only parent Lightning and Serah had growing up.

Hope rubbed the stone lion's mane absentmindedly as he contemplated the girl's question. "...Well, definitely yes. An infinite amount of times, I've lied in bed, unable to sleep, just thinking about how I wish my life went some other way. What's with that reaction? Of course I don't like stealing, but it's become... well, second nature. Anyways, we can talk about this later. Let's go, before those guards come around again." He slinked out from behind the lion, running across the hall to a stairwell that led up to the third floor, motioning for Lightning to follow.

Just before she joined Hope, though, the princess glanced at the stone lion and noticed a dark smudge where Hope's hand had been. She squinted at it, then quickly pulled out a green handkerchief and rubbed the substance away.

"Hurry up!" Hope hissed from across the hall. "What are you doing?"

Lightning, handkerchief still in hand, rushed over. "Hope, your hand is bleeding...!"

"Huh?"

"L-Look." The piece of fabric was held up, a stain of blood smudged into it. "This was on the lion you were touching."

"...Oh. Hm." Hope raised his hand up to his eye level and regarded it with a mild interest. "You're right. It probably got cut from the broken window earlier. When you changed your name, that is." With a flourish, he pulled out a rather dusty looking piece of cloth from his pocket and, much to Lightning's horror, knotted it around the wound.

"N-No! Hope, don't do that! That rag looks filthy, and your wound will become infected!"

"Ssh, Light! Keep your voice down..." Hope protested even as the girl yanked the makeshift bandage away. "There, there, happy now? Let's go, already. No, don't just toss it, give me the cloth."

"W-W-Wait! We can't go just yet...!" Light grabbed at Hope and tugged him to the stairwell with strength and determination that surprised Hope, since it came from the shy princess.

"What are you doing...?" Hope whispered as Light dragged his hand upwards and cupped it in both of hers. She didn't respond to the question at all, just focused on his oozing wound. Hope thought he saw her blue eyes glow, but he couldn't be sure because they closed a second later.

Lightning's entire body became swathed in a holy light. Hope, feeling doubts rising in the pit of his stomach, stepped back half a pace. He was strongly tempted to tear away from the princess' loose grasp, but something told him to trust her.

Funny how one's conscious can make someone put faith in a stranger they met two hours ago.

The light spread to Hope's hand, engulfing his entire arm and stopping at his shoulder. A funny noise emitted from his throat, but then he felt the most wonderful sensation in the palm of his hand. "Ohh..." He sighed, closing his eyes, all resistance leaking out of him. He leaned against the stairwell wall that was behind him and let the warmth of Light's powers seep into him...

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><p>"...pe... Hope... Hope...!"<p>

"Huh? What?" Hope's eyes snapped open and he stood straight up. Lightning was standing in front of him, a hand on his shoulder.

"I-I let you sleep for a little bit, but I think we should go now..."

"Sleep? No way, Light, you should've woken me up!"

"B-But, you can sleep standing up!" Lightning clasped her hands together in honest admiration. "It's truly amazing, Hope!"

Hope groaned. "Uhhhn... Were you _observing _me...?" He shook his head as Lightning opened her mouth. "...Never mind. You don't need to answer me. Let's go." Without another word, and in a bit of a huff, Hope set up the stone staircases, Light close behind.

Despite their attempt to be silent, the sounds of their footsteps echoed against the cold stone surroundings. The staircase seemed to be a long, endless journey made in relative silence, in which Hope was trying to collect his sleepy thoughts. Was that healing magic? Could Lightning use elemental magic, too, or just medical assisting techniques? Hope himself was absolutely devoid of any magic power whatsoever. It just wasn't in his genes.

Just when Hope felt he couldn't walk up another stone step and Lightning was panting hard behind him, he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Quite literally. The sun had already gone down, but the moon was almost just as bright, and shone through the window of the door ahead at just the perfect angle. "T-This is... the highest tower... We made it." Lightning panted.

Hope turned to the princess, whose eyes were narrowed into slits in the sudden glare of the moon. "Yeah. Good job for hanging in there." He smiled before opening the door.

A cool breeze blew across the top of the turret, ruffling the unlikely pair's hair. A princess and a thief stood at the highest point of all of Eden, gazing at the luminous orb in the sky, overcome by the beauty of the scenery.

"...I've actually never been up here. You can see the entire town from here," Light whispered. The town lights twinkled far below, winking merrily. Hope nodded, then remembered that they had a task to do.

He pulled out the satchel that had attracted the shocked attention of both Jihl and Light, and reached into it. The rustling of fabric snapped Light out of her reverie, and she watched in anticipation as Hope pulled out the contents.

"O-Oh... Just like I thought..." Lightning reached out for the teardrop-shaped crystal in Hope's outstretched palm. She took it gingerly and held it between her forefinger and thumb, holding it up to gaze into its sapphire heart. "My sister's crystarium. The day she got it was definitely one to remember... There were parties and celebrations all throughout the kingdom..."

"It's no surprise, really. Finding your own crystarium is really rare, and it's said that if you're lucky enough to find your match, you'll gain amazing new abilities."

"So... My sister really w-was kidnapped..." Lightning sighed, her shoulders slumping. "She'd never leave this behind if she went willingly."

A hand landed itself on Lightning's shoulder, and Hope was horrified and shocked to see that it was his own. What was he doing...? He immediately dragged it off and scratched his cheek, looking away. "Uh... I'm sure she's fine. I'm taking you to meet her, aren't I?"

The young girl smiled and nodded, rubbing at her eyes. "Yes... That's true, is it not?" She raised the precious jewel again, and this time she tilted it this way and that to catch the moonlight. "Oh, look Hope. It's so pretty... It seems like it absorbs the light that passes through it."

The man ran a hand through his platinum hair and peered at the stone. "Oh, yeah, you're right." The center of the stone glittered and sparkled attractively. The thief within him congratulated Hope on the fine catch. _Beautiful. Pretty much a dream come true for an occupation like yours. _Hope mentally scolded himself for the remark, but couldn't help but privately agree.  
><em><br>_He stepped closer to Lightning and gazed at the stone over her shoulder. Totally oblivious to the fact that the girl squeaked as his long silver hair brushed her ear, Hope reached out and touched the crystal gently. Just that slightest touch seemed to set off some sort of reaction, and the light within it exploded outwards.

Lightning screamed and Hope immediately looped an arm around her waist, jerking her backwards. The stone left her grasp, but remained levitating in the air as the two crashed to the floor of the tower, eyes dazzled by the blinding, brilliant illumination. Light had her face buried in Hope's chest, but Hope managed to creak one eyelid open to look at the stone even as he kept her close.

The huge amount of light collected in the center of the gem, then shot out in a single, constant beam. Hope shook his head to get rid of the massive headache he had gotten from the blaze of brightness, and shook Lightning's shoulder. "Light. You can look now. Actually, you _have _to look."

Lightning hesitated, then gasped and pushed herself backwards, blushing furiously. "I-I apologize!"

"Oh, stop it. Don't worry about it, just look." Hope looped his arms underneath Lightning's and hoisted her up, setting her on her feet. "This ray of light. It's pointing us somewhere."

Indeed it was. The white light was aimed to the north, shooting into the heart of a forest. "Uhhh... That area would be..."

"Sunleth Waterscape!" Lightning's voice had a sudden boost in enthusiasm, and she leaned over the edge of the tower. "I've read that it's a beautiful place, with lovely flowers and creatures, and..."

"Hey, Light! Watch it, don't fall over!" Hope grabbed her wrist, but the princess shook her head.

"Oh, Hope, don't worry! Can you imagine? I've always wanted to go to Sunleth Waterscape!" She leaned back and clasped her hands together once again, pure ecstasy written on her face.

"Yeah, yeah, that's all good, but—Hey, do you hear that?" The two stood in silence for a moment, and then the sounds of footsteps could be clearly heard in the quiet of the night.

"Oh, damn it." Hope muttered. "We gotta go." Even as the panicked princess asked him how they could possibly escape, Hope reached into the satchel and brought out a wooden flute, decorated with leaves and vines carved into its surface.

Putting the instrument to his lips, Hope blew three notes: One high note, one low note, and then a note so high that human ears couldn't hear it. "Maui! Get up here!"

"Maui…? Wah!" Lightning cried out, jumping behind Hope as the door behind them burst open. A cluster of soldiers spilled out, crowding the tower top even more.

"Hope Estheim!" Howled a soldier in the front. "We've got you cornered now! Release that young lass behind you immediately!"

_Uhh…? _Hope chanced a glance behind him and saw that Lightning had hidden her face in the back of his shirt. _Oh, nice. They haven't seen her face, and Light cut her hair. _"Well… I guess we'll be going, then!" Grinning, Hope spun on his heel, picked Lightning up and jumped straight over the side of the tower.

The alarmed yells of the guards were barely audible over Lightning's own piercing scream. Hope ended up actually putting a hand over her mouth. He didn't think he could take anymore of the high-pitched sound.

A dark shape shot out from the shadows of the castle tower and zoomed towards the falling pair. It protested as the combined weight of both a fourteen year old princess and a twenty-one year old rogue dropped onto it, but the thing managed to continue running. "Lightning, you can stop screaming and open your eyes now!" Hope shouted.

The princess didn't seem to hear him until he repeated himself, at which time she promptly shut her mouth and peeped through her fingers, which had been covering her eyes ever since Hope had pitched them over the side. "Wh-Wh-Wh… How are we still alive?"

"You better thank my partner in crime. This is Maui. She's a girl, by the way." The wolf-like creature growled a greeting as her powerful legs raced them along the castle roof.

"Um… H-Hello… I-It's nice to meet y—Eeeep!" Maui vaulted off the edge of the castle and into the surrounding trees. Jumping from thick branch to branch, in which much branch breaking was involved, the canine landed on the ground in a rain of twigs and leaves, panting heavily.

Hope quickly disembarked, carrying Lightning with her. He set the princess on the ground and immediately turned to stroke Maui's head, which, like all of her species, seemed to be encased in some sort of helmet. "Good girl, good girl. You did an awesome job."

"A-A Pantheron…"

"Yep, that's right. Isn't she great?"

"But they're so rare… I've heard they're pretty much almost extinct."

"I found her a long time ago, when she was just a puppy and I was just a kid. She's been my friend and partner ever since."

"O-Oh, I see… But where…?"

"No time like the present. Er, not for stories. I meant we should probably go to Sunleth Waterscape. Hmm… But Maui can't take both of us so far just by herself. She'd get worn out in no time. I guess we'll have to find something for you to ride on, or in."

Far behind them, the echoes of the knights, who were raising a din in the castle, reached their ears. They stood in silence for a while, before Hope finally said, "I'd like to get some water for Maui. Let's go find a stream, or something."

With a hand on the animal's head, Hope disappeared through a stand of trees, bushes and grass rustling in his wake. Princess Claire gave one last look in the direction of the castle, all she had ever known for most of her life, and slipped after Hope.

* * *

><p><strong>And this part is where I explain myself. First of all, I've been having a bit of a rocky relationship with my parents. They ended up taking away my laptop, which was the main thing I used for writing these fanfictions. Then school started, and, to be totally honest, I have been having a crappy beginning to the year. A family friend also passed away, and... Well, I have excuses, but I must say I've been gone much too long. I hope you all can forgive me.<strong>

**As for the good news, there are released screenshots for FFXIII-2! And not just _any _screenshots. :D Any of you guys who follow it closely, or have a Tumblr, have probably already seen this. BUT I JUST WANT TO SHARE MY ENTHUSIASM! Because I went into like... extreme fangirl mode.**

**There were screenshots of HOPE! In FFXIII-2! And he's SO FREAKING BEAUTIFULLLL.  
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**And there's also a bandana-less Snow, which I have mixed feelings about. It's like, one side of my brain is saying, "Oh, hey, I actually like it!" And then the other half is yelling, "FAJIEWOFJAOWEFJ, GET YO BANDANA BACK ON."**

**HOWEVER, I really just can't figure out how to post the links on here. Fanfiction keeps deleting half the URL. If you wanna see screenshots b/c you haven't seen them yet, shoot me a Private Message, or email me at .  
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**Yeah, so this bottom section is an apology, a fangirl session, and... Oh yeah. There's a vote, too.**

**In the next chapter, whose alter ago should be featured? Please choose between Snow and Fang.**

**Thanks for reading!  
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